Monday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/21/2013

Housing rebound helps contractors get back in business

Now that the construction industry is on the rebound, interior designers, kitchen contractors and other businesses are seeing their revenues rise 20 percent or more this year. But owners still have scars from the recession, so they take all the work they can get locally, even when it stretches them thin. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Sales and Marketing Advice for Florida business Five rules for engaging your audience in the conversation they want to have

Too often marketing and selling is a one-way activity. Prospective customers are constantly bombarded with a stream of packaged messages -- on webpages, in email, advertising, and in person. Marketing and selling success demands that you create opportunities with two-way conversations. Yet, real dialogue isn’t easy to come by. Read Ron Stein's full column.

Darden cuts health insurance for 1,000

Real Estate

Rental Rush

The condo boom in Miami-Dade County crushed construction of rental apartments, and investors who purchased apartment buildings did so in order to convert them to condos. The county’s inventory of rentals plunged.

Once the bust began to clear, however, demand soared for rentals, vacancies plummeted and rents began to rise.

Some Darden Restaurants workers will no longer be eligible for company health insurance next year. About 1,000 employees nationwide who were eligible for Darden's traditional health plan won't qualify because they did not work an average of 30 hours weekly over the past year. The Orlando-based owner of chains such as Olive Garden and Red Lobster employs more than 200,000 people. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

Small Business Advice Encouraging a team approach vital in workplace

Many companies report that employee morale and production increase after adopting a team concept. This collaborative atmosphere goes a long way to make the point that each employee is important to the mission of the firm and holds a stake in its success. Read Jerry Osteryoung's full column.

National conference shows South Florida yoga boom

A conference in Hollywood will show the nation what many South Floridians already know: South Florida is experiencing a yoga boom. Even during the recession, new yoga studios were opening up; at least 12 opened in Broward and Palm Beach counties in 2009 and 2010 alone. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Out of the Box Recycled Table Waste

At mealtime, Ben Walter's pigs, sheep, cows and chickens have a lot in common with the dining elite in Central Florida. The scraps and kitchen leftovers from the heirloom grain-stuffed smoked tomato with cauliflower rice and quinoa salad with smidge of barbecue cream at the award-winning Cress restaurant in DeLand could be in the animal's feed days later.